What would be the odds that there are another Brent and Claire couple with the same first names living in Christchurch, New Zealand? And if there were, would the two odd Brent’s make up an even?!!

Brent was a visitor to our Toastmasters Club, that’s how we first met. Making any new visitor welcome is best conducted by asking questions. Everyone who walks through the door to improve their public speaking ability is always nervous as heck, get them talking about themselves their bridges confidence. It’s also a fantastic way to get into rapport and make any new potential member welcome.

It didn’t take long to get the conversation going a hundred miles an hour. When Brent disclosed his wife was Claire – it was bugger anything about him and further inquisitive questions about each of our wives. We took turns to best describe each other’s Claire to compare personalities, looks, characteristics and habits; each trying to imagine what the other Claire looked like to determine if we Brent’s had similar tastes. Oddly enough, we each believed we did!

Brent got to meet BClaire first because she also attends the same Toastmasters Club … anything I had shared was naturally evidenced in the flesh. Phew, nothing I had said was used against me – the ‘Brent’ kindred spirit thingy. It was only a matter of time before a Face Book visit was arranged to meet Brent’s Claire and even up the situation and round out the oddity of another couple with the same relationship first names.

The confused looks on their kid’s faces when introducing ourselves was brilliant. They had been told that Brent and Claire were coming for dinner and they innocently shrugged it off as always having dinner with their Mum and Dad. Me telling them that they could just call us ‘Dad and Mum’ had them without a doubt looking at us oddly! But it wasn’t long before a ball was being tossed down a cricket pitch or a bounce on the trampoline with Phoebe to see whose bottom could hit the ground or a paper and pencil to draw illustrations in-between adult chat was sewn into the visit.

This reminded us of our time spent with our own kids when they were growing up at similar ages. Those moments have long gone so melting them with Brent and Claire’s was special. We were able to watch a sunset on their deck to the twins Finn and Lucas sharing their passion for dancing. They gave it all like no one was watching – who they took after with their style and poise had each parent pointing the finger at the other. Huh, just like we do!

The Chatterton’s have travelled to far off destinations; they own and operate their own business; they are involved with community activities; they have participated at events like the Coast to Coast; Brent attends Toastmasters to improve speaking in-front of an audience; Claire has painted her family, her art hangs on a hallway hall; they have their photo experiences hanging on the wall opposite; and Claire was always pulling Brent up for his nonsensical humour – especially when he fired up a ‘chuffer’ that helps with keeping frost off the vines during winter as we sat in 20 degrees at dusk and it nearly blowing him up!

Yep, be warned people … there are another Brent and Claire out there, just like us!